Downed line leads to power, traffic-light outages in G.R.

UPDATE: The Consumers Energy Outage Map indicated at 10:20pm Wednesday no remaining power outages in the affected areas.

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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A downed power line Wednesday evening originally resulted only in a section of Leonard Street being blocked off on Grand Rapids’ northeast side.

Image courtesy: Consumers Energy Outage Map as of 8:36pm 2/20/19.

But Grand Rapids Police & Fire Dispatch apprised FOX 17 the downed line led to a number of traffic lights going out “all over the city”. And there were more than 2,200 power outages in that area initially, but that number had been reduced to 1,900 by 9:30 p.m. As for traffic-light outages, dispatchers tell us lights were out as far south as the Eastown area, and Burton Street.

Consumers Energy’s Debra Dodd says a primary electric line came down, but they don’t know if it was weather- related or not. Consumers is estimating power to be restored in all areas by 11:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Consumers Energy’s Outage Map indicated the power outages were concentrated in an area bounded roughly by Fuller Avenue on the east, Plainfield Avenue on the west, Sweet Street to the north, and Leonard Street to the south.

Dispatchers said the downed power line prompted crews to block off Leonard Street N.E. to traffic, between Union and Paris avenues, beginning around 6:24 p.m. Dispatch wasn’t sure what brought the line down.

Consumers Energy crews have been called in to address the issue. Dispatchers say fire crews cleared the scene around 8:15 p.m., but the barricades were still up on Leonard Street.